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John Nash Has Died

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Re: John Nash Has Died

#121

Post by lotsofmangos »

userbinator wrote: post #19
po wrote: post #6

Such a tragic loss. Like many people, I never wore a seatbelt while riding in a taxi. I'm not really sure why, it just seemed somehow to be the social norm and I went along with it. Then one day, my co-worker and his girlfriend were both severely injured while in an accident crossing the east river in manhattan. Ever since then, I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Som…

"Seatbelt culture" probably depends greatly on the local culture. In the UK, the driver of a taxi is allowed to not wear one, but not the passengers. http://www.driving-law.co.uk/offences/seat_belts-exemptions....

I was talking to a cab driver in Bristol about that and it is apparently because drivers were getting robbed by people strangling them with the seatbelt.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#122

Post by lawl »

themartorana wrote: post #30
tyfon wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I _always_ buckle up, even in bus. I've gotten looks from taxi drives in south Europe for this, they treat it as an insult. I feel it's better to insult than be dead. Afaik since you get fined quite severely in Norway where I live (and most of Europe) if you don't wear a seat belt, the rate of use is much higher than the US. He will be missed. Hopefully it can put focus on such a simple thing to save lives.

Oddly, you get fined in the U.S. for not wearing a seatbelt in the car you're driving ("Click it or ticket!") but I've never heard of someone being cited for not wearing one in a cab. Is it because it's the back seat?

In Switzerland the driver has to make sure all passengers have their seatbelt on or they will also get fined.

Cab drivers here won't drive if you don't put it on.

Seems like a good solution to me.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#123

Post by btgeekboy »

macspoofing wrote: post #62
po wrote: post #6

Such a tragic loss. Like many people, I never wore a seatbelt while riding in a taxi. I'm not really sure why, it just seemed somehow to be the social norm and I went along with it. Then one day, my co-worker and his girlfriend were both severely injured while in an accident crossing the east river in manhattan. Ever since then, I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Som…

>I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Are there seatbelts in buses?

Some of them, yes. I've been on some buses (usually tour buses in some part of Europe) where the driver insists everyone buckles up.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#124

Post by jwdunne »

lotsofmangos wrote: post #121
userbinator wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Seatbelt culture" probably depends greatly on the local culture. In the UK, the driver of a taxi is allowed to not wear one, but not the passengers. http://www.driving-law.co.uk/offences/seat_belts-exemptions....

I was talking to a cab driver in Bristol about that and it is apparently because drivers were getting robbed by people strangling them with the seatbelt.

I had the same conversation with a private hire in Salford. He said that it's easy for someone to strangle you from behind with the seatbelt.

My dad never brought that curious aspect up (ex-taxi driver of ten years) but you can pick up dangerous people. I remember when I was younger, he had to take me to the police station as he identified someone in a photo book. He said at the time it was a 'runner' but I later found out it was because of a man who he had dropped off who went on to attack his ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law with an axe, which he had the whole time in my dad's car.

Knowing about these sorts of experiences, I can understand why they would forgo protection of a seatbelt when they potentially pick up these types of people.

It wasn't all bad though. He has fond memories of picking up famous Manchester Utd footballers, his favourite team, before they were famous, e.g David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, etc.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#125

Post by atmosx »

gus_massa wrote: post #47
mmrasheed wrote: post #22

A person who I knew nothing about became one of the inspiring figures in my life after I watched the movie, "A beautiful mind". I am neither a mathematician, nor an economist. So, I didn't get to dig his work deep. But, I often use his struggle with schizophrenia and his recovery as an example of unlimited potential of human mind.

Nice movie, but remember to read the diff with the real life: [spoiler alert] http://monkeymigraine.blogspot.com.ar/2007/12/beautiful-lie-...

Interesting article but I don't think the movie is bad. It's just romanticised. In my view it doesn't distort the real story in a meaningful way for the audience.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#126

Post by D-Coder »

tyfon wrote: post #18
po wrote: post #6

Such a tragic loss. Like many people, I never wore a seatbelt while riding in a taxi. I'm not really sure why, it just seemed somehow to be the social norm and I went along with it. Then one day, my co-worker and his girlfriend were both severely injured while in an accident crossing the east river in manhattan. Ever since then, I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Som…

I _always_ buckle up, even in bus. I've gotten looks from taxi drives in south Europe for this, they treat it as an insult. I feel it's better to insult than be dead. Afaik since you get fined quite severely in Norway where I live (and most of Europe) if you don't wear a seat belt, the rate of use is much higher than the US. He will be missed. Hopefully it can put focus on such a simple thing to save lives.

"They treat it as an insult" — also some US drivers. I just say "Oh, I trust _your_ driving, it's the drunks and crazies out there that I don't trust."

Re: John Nash Has Died

#127

Post by vinceguidry »

kristofferR wrote: post #28
vinceguidry wrote: post #12

Lucky motherfuckers. I hope when I'm that old I can get a nice quick death too. And to top it off, they got to die together! That just takes the cake. None of that nasty grieving business, feeling like your life is over but you're still alive. Really, I can't think of a better way to go. Hats off to you, Mr. Nash.

Your language is pretty inflamatory, but you do actually have a legitimate point. Would it really be better if they died a slow death due to disease (there's really no such thing as "dying of old age", despite the myth)? Yet, it's understandable why people get angry when people start philosophizing about death when someone dies.

> (there's really no such thing as "dying of old age", despite the myth)?

There is. I was talking to a buddy of mine, whose in his seventies, says that some people don't really have anything wrong with them, just that everything slowly stops working. Nothing to point to as wrong, just a slow decline.

> Yet, it's understandable why people get angry when people start philosophizing about death when someone dies.

My biggest problem with secular culture is that we've lost a certain perspective and ability to handle our own mortality. People just get utterly irrational when it comes to death.

Life is beautiful, certainly, but death also has a dignified beauty to it too, and if you strip death of its dignity, then what you get is an abomination to life. So you see this culture where you lose control over your own dignity to satisfy other peoples' lack of emotional maturity. Really sad.

A car wreck isn't at the top of my list of preferred ways to die, but it's far from the bottom. Way more dignified than a lot of the alternatives.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#128

Post by nnutter »

The metro buses I ride in to St. Louis do not have seat belts, do not have soft seats, and are not high but they drive on the freeway at 65+ MPH. It's even legit just to stand which I've done when the bus is crowded. None of this has ever felt safe to me but I assumed someone had determined that it was. For instance, I had not known how effective school busses' high, padded seats were at protecting its passengers until reading this thread and had assumed similarly that they didn't seem safe but must be.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#129

Post by jkestner »

krschultz wrote: post #14
po wrote: post #6

Such a tragic loss. Like many people, I never wore a seatbelt while riding in a taxi. I'm not really sure why, it just seemed somehow to be the social norm and I went along with it. Then one day, my co-worker and his girlfriend were both severely injured while in an accident crossing the east river in manhattan. Ever since then, I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Som…

I started wearing the seatbelt in NYC cabs after I saw the results of a relatively minor cab accident. The plastic barrier between the passenger and driver compartments was covered in blood. That's all the convincing I needed.

That would make an excellent decal for a "buckle up" campaign.

Re: John Nash Has Died

#130

Post by murbard2 »

po wrote: post #6

Such a tragic loss. Like many people, I never wore a seatbelt while riding in a taxi. I'm not really sure why, it just seemed somehow to be the social norm and I went along with it. Then one day, my co-worker and his girlfriend were both severely injured while in an accident crossing the east river in manhattan. Ever since then, I've gotten in the habit of using my seatbelt while in a taxi, car, bus, or whatever. Som…

I think it's because people tend to associate the cabs with the slow speeds involved in the city. I typically don't buckle up in Manhattan, except on the FDR or the West Side Highway, or if we're going above 30 mph.

For those unfamiliar with the NJ turnpike, where the accident happened, the speed limit is 65 mph and people drive like maniacs. Definitely a place where you want your seatbelt one.

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